Concept and Objective

The concept of the convention of this conference emerges from the context of efforts and attempts aiming to overcome obstacles and hindrances in the way of the reform and change process in both Arab and Muslim world, and because the issue  of the role of “Political Islam” was the most pressing issue for the parties involved in this process, experiences have shown that there is no way to achieve progress in the reform and democratization process in the Arab and Muslim World without having the political Islam trend as partner in this process, as the fear from the increase of power of this trend was an obstacle in the way of reform for sometime, and a pretext used by Arab governments and regimes to hinder it at other times. Parliamentary elections in more than one Arab and Muslim country has showed that elections would enable this trend to get more effective positions at Arab parliaments, and that progress on the way of democratic reform will enhance the power of these trends, or enable them to show their effective power and legalize it, examples on this are, the success of Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt elections; Hamas’ success in municipal and legislative elections; the success of Sunni and Shiite religious powers in Iraqi elections, etc…

 While we notice that liberal, democratic and leftist (secular) trends, are the weaker when it comes to elections and results of balloting,  as the secular lists in Egypt did not get more than 5% of votes, most of secular lists in Iraq did not get more than 10% of votes, and in Palestine, the major bloc of legislative council seats are occupied by Fateh (Authority’s Party and Hamas).

 During the last decade, political and intellectual schools were initiated from the womb of Islamic movements, adopting a new address, urging for reform, calling for participation as well as peaceful negotiation for authority, supporting the launching of public freedoms, presenting new concepts for women rights and non-Muslim minorities in Islamic societies, adopting nationalization concepts as a resource for rights and duties, and calling for dialogue with “the other”, recognizing and coexisting with the other, and these trends, although still new born, but are developing in a positive directive that might serve the issue of reform and change in the Arab and Muslim World.

 Awareness of Islamic categories has also increased during the past few years, for the need to develop this address, deepen knowledge in its various chapters, to exchange experiments and knowledge result among Islamic intellects, and studying some cases and stories of success recorded by Islamic countries, societies, organizations, intellects and activists in order to deepen knowledge and provide means of learning from each others, and in this context, several attempts appeared for approaching and “engagement” between these experiences, groups and directives. Also, there has been search for what is common between the reform trends with Islamic background, and secular reform movements under the slogan of “partnership for reform and change”.

 Based on all the above mentioned, there came the need for organizing this conference to become a field for the exchange of experiences and ideas and to work for the establishment of a network for Islamic reformists and renovators, that would continue search and consultation and exchange for experiences and knowledge, as well as coping with all what is new in both the address and experiment, and to explore the possibility of crystallizing an original reformist Islamic address, that supports and encourages renovating reformist Islamic trends in both intellect and practice, distinguishing it from conservative and traditional trends.  It would also establish a partnership that starts with Islamic reformists and asserts that reformist Islam does not contradict with main values of democracy, freedom and political pluralism, and that it might become a forklift for both development and democracy, resisting all aspects of extremist, schools of expiation and terrorism. This would help in trespassing the state of hesitation and stillness lived by tracks of democratic transfer in a number of Arab and Islamic countries and societies, sometimes due to fear from “invasion” of Islamic movements, and other times on the pretext of the absence of other substitutes for Islamists, and always due to the absence of political will in launching the process of reform and change.

The First  Conference for the International  Coalition for the Civic and Democratic Islamic Discourse.

Conference Program

First Day
May 27, 2006
 
9.30 - 10:00  Registration
 
10:00 - 11:30  Opening Session
Welcome and Keynote speeches

Oraib Al-Rantawi
Director Al-Quds Center for Political Studies
Amman, Jordan
 
Dr. Hardy Ostry
Regional Resident Representative
Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Amman Office
Amman, Jordan
 
Dr. Marouf Al-Bakheet
Prime Minister of Jordan
Amman, Jordan
 
11:30 - 12:00 Coffee Break
 
12:00 - 14:00 First Panel
 
The Need for Civic Democratic Islamic Discourse
Chairperson: Dr. Abdulnaser Abu Al-Basal
 
“The Compatibility of Islam and Democracy: Which Islam? Which Democracy?”
Seyyed Moh’d. Khatami, former MP, Vice-Speaker of the Iranian Parliament 2000-2004, Secretary General of the Al-Mosharekat Party
Iran

"Political Islam and Democracy in Indonesia: Challenges and Opportunities"
Dr. Syafi'i Anwar, Director, The International Centre for Islam and Pluralism
Indonesia

"The Future of the Islamic Discourse under the Umbrella of Democracy and Globalization"
Dr. Ahmad Moussalli, Dept. of Political Studies and Public Administration
American University of Beirut
Lebanon

Discussion
 
14.00 - 15.30 Lunch
 
15.30 -  17.00 Second Panel
 
Relationship between Religion & State
Chairperson: Dr. Wajeeha  Albaharna
 
“Religion and State – Complexity or Problem?”
Hani Fahs,  Politic & Islamic Thinker
Lebanon

“Concept and Problems of a Modern State in Contemporary Islamic Thought”
Mr. Abdul Rahman Al Haj, Researcher in Islamic Studies
Syria

Discussion

Second Day
May 28, 2006
 
9.00 - 9.30 Participants split into 2 Parallel  Workshop Groups

Group (A)	Group (B)
Islam, Authority and State	Citizenship in a Modern Islamic State
Democracy, Constitution and Sharia Law	Individual Rights & Freedoms  in Islam
Political Parties & Pluralism	Citizenship & Rights of Non-   Muslims Minorities in Islamic Societies
Jihad, Terrorism, Violence,  Transfer of Power	Women’s Rights & Participation from an Islamic Perspective

9.30 - 11.30 First Session – Workshops
Group (A)
Democracy, Constitution and Sharia Law

“Islamic Contemporary Thought  & the Issue of Democracy”
Mr. Zaki Milad, Editor-in-Chief, Al Kalimah Magazine
Saudi Arabia

“The Iraqi Islamic Party and the Challenges of Democracy under Occupation”
Dr. Ammar Saied, Member of the Politburo of the Iraqi Islamic Party
Iraq

Workgroup Discussion on common understanding

Group (B)
Individual Rights & Freedoms in Islam

"Islam & Individual Rights"
Dr. Ismael Nawahdah
Prof.  Faculty of Quran and Islamic Studies, Al-Quds University
Palestine

Workgroup Discussion on common understanding
 
11.30 -12.00 Coffee Break
 
12.00 - 14.00  Second Session – Workshops

Group (A)
Political Parties & Pluralism

“Intellectual Origins of Pluralism”
Bilal Al-Talidi, Member of Justice and Development Party
Morocco

“The Muslim Brotherhood and the Shift Towards Democracy”
Husam Tammam, Researcher in the Islamic Movements' Affairs Center of Studies and Social, Economic and Juridical Documents
Egypt

" Experience Justice and Development Party "
Dr. Suleman Gunduz, Member of Parliament, Member of Justice and Development Party
Turkey

“Islamic Integration in Arab Politics – Opportunities and Challenges”
Mohammad Abu Rumman, Researcher of Islamic Movements
Jordan

Workgroup Discussion on common understanding
 
Group (B)
Citizenship & Rights of Non- Muslim Minorities in Islamic Societies 

“Non-Muslim Minority Rights in the Egyptian Islamic Discourse”
Dr. Hesham Gaber Alhamamy, Member of Muslim Brotherhood
Egypt

“Islam, Citizenship and Equality - The Malaysian Experience"
Khaled Jaafar, Director, Institute for Policy Research (IPR)
Malaysia

Workgroup Discussion on common understanding
 
14.00 - 15.30 Lunch
 
15.30 - 17.00 Third  Session – Workshops

Group (A)
Jihad, Terrorism, Violence, Transfer of Power

“Impact of Closed Fiqh in Preconditioning a Climate for Violent and Extremist Trends”
Mansour  Al Nogaidan , Editor & Writer  Al Riyadh Daily Newspaper
Saudi Arabia
 
“Jihad, Terrorism, Violence”
Dr. Al-Mortadha Al-Mahatwary, Member of Yemen Scholars Association, Professor at Sanaa' University
Yemen

Workgroup Discussion on common understanding

Group (B)
Women Rights & Participation from an Islamic Perspective

“Women Rights & Participation in Malaysia”
Ms Norhayat  Kaprawi, Program Manager, “Sisters in Islam”
Malaysia

Workgroup Discussion on common understanding

Third Day
May 29, 2006
 
10.00 - 11.30  Third Panel

Islamic Minorities in Non- Muslim Countries:   Questions of Identity & Integration
 
“Islamic Involvement in a Democratic and Secular State:  Muslims in India “
Dr. Imtiaz Ahmad, Researcher on Islam & Democracy, former Professor of Sociology
India

“Liberal Islam – Islamic Movements in the West”
Mr.Ghanem Jawad, Director of Cultural & Human Rights Unit, Al Khoei Foundation
U.K.
 
Dr. Marzouk Aulad Abdellah, President of the Islamic University of Europe
Netherlands 

Sheikh  Wanees Mabrouk, Representative of Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe
UK 
 
Discussion
 
11.30 - 12.00  Coffee break
 
12.00 - 14.30 Fourth Plenary Session

Recommendations & Results: “Islam, Authority & State”
Presentation Working Group A

Discussion of Recommendations

Recommendations & Results: “Islam & Citizenship”
Presentation Working Group B

Discussion of Recommendations

14.30 - 16.00  Lunch
 
18.00- 20.00 Closing Session

Presentation of Recommendations to the Public & Media

Followed by Reception (Al-Riwaq Hall)

For Book Publication based on Towards a Civic Democratic Islamic Discourse viewing click here

The Final Communiqué/PDF
Recommendations and Suggestions/PDF
Final Report/PDF
Participants
Photo Gallery